An enchanting evening cruise over Shitalakhya River

- Saleem Samad 01 Oct, 2018

Borhan Uddin

Dhaka : 'Dhaka Dinner Cruise', is the first-ever unique tourism product of its kind to showcase the beauty of riverine Bangladesh.

If the river cruise is on a moonlight night, the cruise begins after the chirping birds returning to their nests atop trees bedecked along the banks of the river Shitalakhya, it would definitely more thrilling. The vessel MV Atlas Sun steams pass the villages darkened after dusk, lights blinking amidst sylvan shadows of trees and bamboo groves.

The only cruising vessel breaks a blanket of silence in the misty darkness, except for the noise of motorised country boats and murmur of villagers returning from the ghats, while young girls with infants on their buttocks seen in silhouette.

The cruise helps to shrug off busy life in capital Dhaka, locked in chaotic traffic and routine works. The trip will relieve all your stress, you have acquired during hectic city life and refresh your mind and body, like factory-reset in laptop and smart phones.

Sitting on the deck of the ship you can gaze the twinkle stars on the sky on regular nights. Enjoying the serene beauty of the green on the riverbanks, the quietness mingled with gentle breeze under the spectacular moon will surely make you nostalgic.

The river cruise has been branded as Dhaka Dinner Cruise, an initiative for creating awareness to conserve the rivers of the country. A new venture was developed and launched jointly and introduced into the tourism industry of Bangladesh, is an externalisation of the long-standing experiences of 'River and Green Tours' and 'Green Holidays' with the support of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation.

Why Dhaka Dinner Cruise? The idea was conceived by Borhan Uddin, Project Director of the cruise, and he explained that all over the world in the international cities and capitals like on London, Amsterdam, Paris, Istanbul, all have dinner cruise for tourists and visitors.

Bangladesh, a picturesque country blossoms with numerous rivers, mangrove forests, historical sites and an abundance of wildlife. Cruise tours along Bangladesh's major rivers is a underful way to see the country, as it allows visitors to experience well-known sights and historic monuments in a relaxing, yet memorable way.

The tour operator has two vessels. The capacity of MV Atlas Sun is for 200 persons and MV Bonobibi is for 40 persons. The ships are specially designed with exclusive interior decoration having kids zone, meeting room, deck, cabin, dining space, game zone, cultural function corner, etc.

The cruise vessels have enough equipment and gears for the safety of passengers and crew.

Shitalakhya river cruises makes brief stops at Murapara Zamindar's Palace and Noapora village, where exotic traditional Jamdani Saree, are being produced by traditional weavers for hundreds of years. The cruise explores villages on the riverside throughout the period.

The four hour weekend cruise on Friday's and Saturday's begins at 4:30pm till 8:30pm and costs Tk 2,500 for adult and for children Tk 1,000. Which includes evening snacks, BBQ dinner, tea/coffee and bottled water during the cruise.

Since Dhaka Dinner Cruise was launched on June 16, 2017 not a single trip has ever been cancelled even. We even sailed with 5 passengers," said Borhan Uddin, Project Director of Dhaka Dinner Cruise..

The vessel is eco-friendly and do not allow passengers and staff throw any garbage in the river. The Do's and Don'ts are informed to all passengers. "We believe in responsible tourism," the founder of Cruise said.

The tour operator also offers spectacular experiences all year Sunderbans, round of the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sunderbans floating on MV Bonbibi. The best time to visit is October to February (winter), when the sun is mild and pleasant.